Bulbs

Bulbs come in endless variety which makes them perfect for any type of garden. Varieties include corms, rhizomes and tubers.

Corms are sometimes confused with true bulbs, they are similar in appearance externally but the inside of corms is structured differently.

Examples of rhizomes are irises, Lily of the Valley and cannas. Tubers are begonias and dahlias. Tulips and daffodils are considered true bulbs.

A bulb is a self-contained flower factory.  It contains nearly everything the flower needs to come to life. If you split a bulb open you will see the baby flower bud, leaves, roots, stem and food supply. All it needs is to be placed in the ground at the appropriate season of the year, some water then left to work their magic.

I planted a dahlia a few years ago and it keeps coming back every spring. The one I planted is the cactus type. It has fully double flowers with pointed florets. The flower is pinkish to white in color and around 5” to 10” in diameter. The first year blooms were really big but becoming smaller every year which means the bulb needs to be dug up and divided.  This needs to be done before spring.

Dahlias came from Central America and Mexico. The Aztecs cultivated dahlias for food and decorative purposes. They are also used for ceremonial purposes. The dahlia is named after Swedish botanist Anders Dahl an 18^th century botanist. It is also the national flower of Mexico.